Spraying device



oct. 15, 196s F. FREcHETTE 3,107,059

SPRAYING DEVICE Filed Aug. 15, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 3fm fm Filed Aug. l5, 1961 F. FRECHETTE SPRAYING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. /Mwc #im AW Afro/away NAZ United States Patent O 3,107,059 SPPAYENG DEVICE Fernand Freehette, Laval des Rapides, Quebec, Canada,

assigner to Aktieholaget Electrolux, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation oi Sweden Filed Aug. 15, 1961, Ser. No. 131,66) 3 Claims. (Cl. 239-343) My invention relates to spraying devices of the type in which liquid discharged from a nozzle is entrained by an air blast for dispersion in -a iinely divided state.

When air under pressure is delivered to spraying devices of this type from a source of supply like a household suction cleaner, for example, there has often been a tendency heretofore for the liquid to be dispersed in a nely divided state at a non-uniform rate, which is objectionable. Further, in spraying devices of this type there has often been a tendency heretofore for liquid, especially liquid which `is relatively viscous, to accumulate at the tip or discharge orifice of the nozzle and drip therefrom, which also is objectionable.

I-t is an object of my invention to prov-ide an improved i spraying device of this type ior dispersing liquid in a ,dnely divided state at a uniform rate.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved spraying device of .this type in which accumulation of liquid at the tip or discharge orice of the nozzle and dripping of such liquid therefrom is avoided.

The invention, together with the above and other objects and advantages thereof, will be more fully understood upon reference to the `following description and accompanying drawing `forming a part of this specification, and in which:

FIG. l is a top plan view of a spraying device embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is a View, partly in section, taken at line 2 2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is 4a Ifragmentary vertical sectional view taken at line 3 3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of parts illustrated in FIG. 2 to illustrate details more clearly;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view taken at line 5 5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an `enlarged perspective view of a part shown in FIGS. 2 and 4; and

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view, partly in section, of parts shown in FIGS. l, 2 and 4.

Referring :to FIGS. ll and 2, the spraying device embodying my invention includes a spray head l@ having a circular cap 11 which is internally threaded and adapted to be secured tightly to the mouth of jar or container .12. A hollow tube 14, which may be formed integrally with the cap 11, is provided with an air inlet end 15 adapted to be connected to a source of air under pressure. tIn the illustrated embodiment the air inlet end 15 of the tube 14 yforms a socket `for frictionally receiving an end -tting (not shown) of a hose through which is delivered under pressure, as from a household suction cleaner, for example.

The wall of tube 14 is formed with an opening 16 having its upper end communicating with a recess 17 formed in the 'top outer wall surface of the tube. The recess -17 also overlies a vertical post 18 within tube 14 having an upright passage 19 therein which extends downward from the recess -to the underside of the cap 11. The part of tube 14 adjacent to the air inlet end 15 delines -an air chamber 29. When the recess 17 is covered by the thumb or finger, air under pressure is diverted from chamber 2li through opening 16 into recess 17 and then flows downward through passage 19 into the interior of the container 12. The liquid surface 21 of a body of liquid 22 held in ICC the container l12 will be subjected to the lair pressure in the interior of the container and cause liquid to iiow upward through a tube 23 and a vertical passage 24 of an L-shaped opening formed in the forward part of the post 1S, the horizontal passage 25 of which is centrally positioned @within the :tube 14, as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 7.

The horizontal passage 25 in post 18 extends forward in a hollow sleeve 26 which is carried by the post. The sleeve 26 is externally threaded to receive the open threaded end of a nozzle 27, the opposite closed end or tip 2S of which is of convex shape and stormed with a discharge oriiice 29. A hollow cylindrical-shaped part 30, whose interior is -in the form of a Venturi tube having a throat 31 and convergent and divergent passages 32 and 33, respectively, is positioned at the forward end of the tube 14. As seen in FIGS. 5 and 7, the cylindricalshaped part 3d is for-med with Ia pair of vanes or ribs 34 at the convergent passage section 32 which extend radially inward and to the inner ends of which the nozzle 27 is iixed.

The forward e-nd of the tube 14 sungly receives the cylindrical-shaped part 36 to provide an airtight joint between these parts when the nozzle 27 is threade-dly connected to the hollow sleeve 26. 'Ilhe outer end of the cylindrical-shaped part 3G is formed with an enlarged section 36a having a knurled outer surface, such enlarged section having essentially the same outer diameter as the tforward part of the tube 14, as seen in FIG. 1.

In order to control the llow of liquid flowing upward 'from the interior of container 12 through tube 23 and the L-shaped opening in post 18, I provide a hollow tubular element 35 of the form shown in FIG. 6 having one end 36 mounted in a stationary position on the sleeve 26 and a plurality of fingers 37 at its opposite end. The hollow circular part or end 36 is adapted to be inserted in the hollow sleeve 26, a shoulder 36a being provided in the passage 25 to limit inward movement of the part 36. An intermediate `imperforate zone of the tubular element 35 is formed with a collar 3S which bears against the open end of sleeve 26 when the part 36 is seated and frictionally held therein.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated I have shown four fingers 37 which are formed from a staight-sided cylindrical wall by cutting parts of the wall, the lingers and the inner wall ofthe nozzle 27 having a gap therebetween. The ngers 37 become increasingly smaller toward their outer ends, while the lgaps 39 therebetween become increasingly larger toward the outer ends of the lingers. The tip 23 of the nozzle 27 is formed with an internal wall 27a of conical lform yagainst which the outer extremities of the unexed lingers 37 will bear when the nozzle 27 is being moved toward the right from, the position sho-wn in IFIG. 2. 'I'his is so because the portion of the tubular element 35 projecting from the hollow sleeve 26, which includes the imperforate section 3S and slotted outer section deiining :the resilient lingers 37, has a substantially uniform inner diameter throughout its entire length which is greater than the diameter of the discharge oriiice 29 when the fingers 37 vare unflexed and out of phyisical contact with the conical-shaped inner wall surface 27a. of the nozzle 27.

When the enlarged end Sila of the cylindrical-shaped part 3d has been moved to the. right as far as it can be moved on the tube 14, as seen in FIG. 1, the nozzle 27 fwill have been moved :to the right on sleeve 26 as yfar as it can be moved and the fingers 37 will have been deliected radially inward to the position in FIG. 4. Hence, the inner wall 27a functions to flex the lingers 37 radially inward toward the longitudinal axis of the tubular element 35 responsive to axial movement of the nozzle 27 toward the hollow sleeve or part 26. As seen in FIG. 4, the outer portions of the lingers 37 are tightly held together at the discharge orifice 29 of the nozzle and abut one Aanother so that liquid cannot iiow through passage and be discharged from the discharge orifice 29 of the nozzle. As the part and nozzle 27 together as a unit are retracted from the sleeve 26 and moved toward the left in FIG, 4, the lingers 37 will flex radially outward. is so because the ngers 37 are resilient-ly biased to move radially outward from their flexed positions in FiG. 4 responsive to axial movement of :the nozzle 27 and its inner wall or flexing means 27a `from the part or sleeve 26 to increase the iiow of liquid through the ngers 37. With continued movement of the nozzle 27 toward fthe left in FIG. 4, the outer extremities of the fingers 37 will ride radially outward on the conical-shaped inner Wall 27a of the nozzle and eventually .the individual fingers 37 will assume straight positions parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tubular element 35. In such straight positions of the lingers 37, which is shown in FIG. 2, liquid will iiow through passage 25 and flow through the discharge orifice at the maximum rate.

Hence, the yfingers' collectively function as a valve for shutting oli liow of liquid through the nozzle 27 and for nicely controlling the ow of liquid lfor any dow rate between minimum and maximum. When the lingers 37 flex toward one another they assume a shape which is more or less a segment of a paraboloid of revolution with an opening of variable size at its apex. The size of this opening, which is :concentric with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tubular element 35, is dependent upon :the position or lthe nozzle 27 on the sleeve 26 which can be adjusted to spray liquid at `a desired rate.

The lingers 37 are formed from a suitable resilient material so that they will readily iiex radially inward toward one another andwill always return to their stri-ght position, as illustraed in FIG. 2. Alhough I do not wish to be limited thereto, I have found that the tubular element can be :formed of a plastic material like that available under Ithe trademark Delrinf A plastic material oi this kind is especially suitable `for the reason that it is sumciently resilient and yet will provide lingers 37 which are relatively stift and ywill move back to their straight positions when permitted to do so.

When the spraying device illustrated and `just described is connected to a source of vair under pressure, the throat or constriction 3i in the cylindrical-shaped part 3&3 will develop ya back pressure chamber 2li lwhen `the recess 17 is covered by the thumb or ringer, thus causing air under pressure to be directed into the interior of the container Vi', in the manner explained above. 'Ihe liquid forced lfrom 'the container will flow through passage 25 and the opening at the apex of the lingers 3'7, the size of which will be dependent upon the position of the nozzle 27 on the sleeve 2d. The liquid flowing through the opening at the apex of the lingers 37 will then be discharged from the nozzle 27 through the discharge orifice 29.

The air introduced under pressure into chamber 21') iiows forward through the tube 1.4 past the post 218 into fthe convergent passage 32 formed in the cylindricalshaped part Sii. After passing through the throat 31, the air flows into the divergent or outwardly daring passage 33 of the cylindrical-shaped part 30. rll'ne outwardly flaring passage 33 functions as an air blast tube which is disposed about the nozzle 27, the liquid discharged from the nozzle oriiice 2-9 being entrained by the air blast for dispersion in a finely divided state.

I have found that by employing the hollow tubular element 35 having resilient lingers 37 located at the tip 28 of the nozzle 27, the relationship of the parts of the spraying device being correct in other respects, liquid will he dispersed in the air blast tube in a linely divided state at a uniform rate `and pulsations in the rate of liow of liquid will be avoided and there will be no tendency for liquid to accumulate at the tip 2S of the nozzle and drip therefrom within the divergent passage section 33 of the cylindrical-shaped part 30'.

While I have sho-wn and described a particular embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent that modiiications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as pointed out in the `following claims.

I claim:

1. In vcombination with :a spraying device having a hollow part delining a passage adapted to receive liquid under pressure, a nozzle comprising a hollow member, said nozzle at one end being connected to said part and hav- .ing a round discharge oriiice at its other end in axial alignment with the passage, said nozzle being axially adjustable with respect to saidpart, and an air blast tube disposed about said nozzle, the liquid discharged from said nozzle being entrained by the air blast for dispersion in a linely divided state; of an essentially straight hollow tubular element, said ltubular element having a iirst portion mounted in a stationary position on said part incornmuni'cation with the passage therein and a second porl tion projecting from said pant toward said discharge oriiice in axial alignment therewith, said second portion including an imperforate section adjacent to said part and an vend section .terminating at the vicinity of said discharge orifice, said end section having spaced axially extending slots defining a plurality oi resilient fingers distributed about the periphery of said tubular element, each resilient linger having substantially straight opposing edges which converge toward one ano-ther from said imperforate section to the extreme end of said end section, said tingers and lthe axially extending inner wall of said nozzle having a gap therebetween at a region removed from said disohange oriiice, the inner wall of said nozzle a-t the vicinity of said discharge oriiice being formed and shaped to flex said resilient Vfingers radially inward toward the axis of said tubular element responsive to axial movement of said nozzle toward said part to reduce the iiow of liquid through said lingers, said resilient tingers moving radiallyI outward from their inner flexed positions responsive to axial movement of said nozzle `from said part to increase the liow of liquid through said fingers, said resilient lingers when unflexed being substantially straight and parallel to .the axis of said tubular element and axially displaced irom said discharge orifice, and said imperforate section and slotted end section of said projecting second portion of said tubular element throughout their entire length having a substantially uniform inner diameter which is greater than the diameter of said discharge orilice when said resilient fingers are uniiexed and out of physical Contact with the inner wal-l of said nozzle.

2. The spraying device set forth in claim 1 in which the inner lwall of said nozzle is formed with a conicalshaped inner surface at the `vicinity of said discharge orilice, the outer extremities of said resilient lingers contacting said surface and moving radially inward and outward toward and from the longitudinal axis of said tubular element responsive to movement of said nozzle torward `and lfrom said part, respectively.

3. The spraying device set forth in claim 1 in which said hollow tubular element is formed of plastic material.

Reierences Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 96,862 Allen Nov. 16, 1869 851,603 Long Apr. 23, 1907 1,176,109 Ronk Mar. 21, 1916 2,442,746 Anderson et al. June 8, 1948 3,027,096 Giordano Mar. 27, 1962 FOREiGN PATENTS 601,885 Canada iuly 19, 1960 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A SPRAYING DEVICE HAVING A HOLLOW PART DEFINING A PASSAGE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE LIQUID UNDER PRESSURE, A NOZZLE COMPRISING A HOLLOW MEMBER SAID NOZZLE AT ONE END BEING CONNECTED TO SAID PART AND HAVING A ROUND DISCHARGE ORIFICE AT ITS OTHER END IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE PASSAGE, SAID NOZZLE BEING AXIALLY ADJUSTABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID PART, AND AN AIR BLAST TUBE DISPOSED ABOUT SAID NOZZLE, THE LIQUID DISCHARGED FROM SAID NOZZLE BEING ENTRAINED BY THE AIR BLAST FOR DISPERSION IN A FINELY DIVIDED STATE; OF AN ESSENTIALLY STRAIGHT HOLLOW TUBULAR ELEMENT, SAID TUBULAR ELEMENT HAVING A FIRST PORTION MOUNTED IN A STATIONARY POSITION ON SAID PART IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE PASSAGE THEREIN AND A SECOND PORTION PROJECTING FROM SAID PART TOWARD SAID DISCHARGE ORIFICE IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT THEREWITH, SAID SECOND PORTION INCLUDING AN IMPERFORATE SECTION ADJACENT TO SAID PART AND AN END SECTION TERMINATING AT THE VICINITY OF SAID DISCHARGE ORIFICE, SAID END SECTION HAVING SPACED AXIALLY EXTENDING SLOTS DEFINING A PLURALITY OF RESILIENT FINGERS DISTRIBUTED ABOUT THE PERIPHERY OF SAID TUBULAR ELEMENT, EACH RESILIENT FINGER HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT OPPOSING EDGES WHICH CONVERGE TOWARD ONE ANOTHER FROM SAID IMPERFORATE SECTION TO THE EXTREME END OF SAID END SECTION, SAID FINGERS AND THE AXIALLY EXTENDING INNER WALL OF SAID NOZZLE HAVING A GAP THEREBETWEEN AT A REGION REMOVED FROM SAID DIS- 